Something Drew Us Here
by Astroslinky
Summary: Five years after the ending 'Memory's Crannies', Ib and Garry both have a strange dream about the events that transpired in the "other" gallery. Unintentionally drawn back into the gallery, they must overcome enemies, old and new, to find Ib's baby sister, along with the way out. Rated T for slight language, and because I'm paranoid.
1. Re-Visiting

Chapter One

Ib's POV

I'm so excited! Not just because I'm visiting the gallery, although that's going to fun too. It's mostly that my parents are finally sure that I'm mature enough to handle Maddi, my three-year-old sister, by myself! So I'm taking her to the Guertena exhibit with me. I've actually been to this exhibit before, but that was five years ago, so I'm eager to revisit it.

It's strange, actually. I haven't thought about the exhibition in years, but last night I had this dream about it. There were two other people with me in my dream, but, because it was a dream, I don't really remember what they looked like. I woke up with this strange new urge to see it, and when I was reading the paper this morning, I saw an article mentioning the 5th anniversary of the Guertena exhibit.

"Mom?" I asked.

"Hmmm?" she replied through a sip of coffee.

"Can I go to the art gallery this afternoon? They're showing an exhibition of Guertena's work," I said, showing her the article.

"Oh, I was hoping you could watch Maddi, sweetie. Your father and I are going to visit a friend in a few hours."

"Oh… Could I maybe take her with me? I was really hoping that I could go."

"Are you meeting someone there or something? This is kind of out of the blue."

"No."

She paused, as if she were expecting me to elaborate.

"Alright then, let me think."

I remained silent, anticipating her response.

"Are you sure you can handle Maddi? She's quite a handful."

"Oh, yes. She won't be a problem."

In the end, she said she'd let me take Maddi with me, and left with my father after a few hours. She left me twenty dollars for admission, as a 'late 14th birthday present'. I hugged her and my father tightly and thanked them.

All that was two hours ago. I gave Maddi her lunch, and went upstairs to get ready. I brushed and played around with my chocolate-y hair before I decided just to leave it down like I normally do. I donned a white sweater and a red skirt, along with black knee socks and flats. I slipped a red headband behind my ears, grabbed my purse, and hurried downstairs.

Maddi was watching cartoons on the TV, giggling around mouthfuls of a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. I sat next to her, pulled her into my lap, brushed her dark brown hair, and tied it into a pair of pigtails. I gave her a tight hug, despite her squirming. She really was the cutest little thing. She, like me, had inherited my mother's pretty red eyes and dark hair. Everyone says we look exactly the same, despite me being eleven years older.

We watched the TV until the cartoon ended, and then I turned it off. I picked her up, stuffed a pack of crackers into my purse (just in case Maddi got hungry), and locked the door on my way out. I dropped the keys into my purse as I started down the porch steps.

"Eeby? Weah we going?" Maddi gurgled.

I giggled. The way she tries to say Ib is so cute.

"We're going to the art gallery, sweetie. You'll love it."

"Wheas my teddy?" Maddi sounded concerned.

I sighed. She was talking about her toy bear, that she couldn't be separated from for more than two minutes before she has a breakdown. Luckily, I hadn't forgotten it.

"Don't worry Maddi. Your teddy's in my bag."

"Okay."

My arms started to ache, so I hoisted Maddi up on my shoulders. She laughed happily.

We walked through the city. I looked wistfully at the subway station, but I knew it wasn't that far of a walk to the gallery, and that I didn't have enough money to afford a pass, anyway. We continued down the street. I love people watching in my city; there are so many interesting people to see! I saw a woman dressed from head to toe in neon green crossing the street, a guy with cute purple hair walking in front of me, and a homeless man with a sign that said 'Need money for ninja lessons' standing on the street corner. I stifled a laugh; I didn't want to be rude.

Suddenly, Maddi started to cry quietly.

"What's wrong, sweetie?" I asked concernedly.

"I cold." She replied.

She was right. The early November wind was bitingly cold, and was making me shiver despite my warm sweater. I took her down from my shoulders and held her tightly. She snuggled into me, and I smiled down at her. I dug her teddy from my purse and looked at it for a moment. One of its button eyes was loose and hanging down, its soft brown fur was patchy, and the ribbon Maddi had tied around its neck was ratty; there was no denying that it was well loved. I handed it to Maddi, and she hugged it close, sighing contentedly.

My teeth had just begun to chatter when I rounded the corner and saw the gallery. I hurriedly crossed the street and opened the ornate door. A wall of warmth hit me, blowing my hair back, making me shudder. Maddi, who had been dozing, woke, and squirmed around, cueing me to put her down. I grasped her hand firmly and approached the front desk.

Garry's POV

I wasn't ready to get up this morning at all.

I had had this horrible nightmare about a haunted version of a gallery I'd visited years ago, where paintings jumped off the wall at me and this young girl whose face I couldn't see. Needless to say, I hadn't slept very well. And yet, I had this strange urge to go back to the gallery. Weird. I threw my tangled bedclothes off of me, groggily rose from bed and stretched. I shambled into the tiny kitchen to start the coffee maker. I was definitely going to need caffeine today.

While I waited for my coffee, I walked to the front door of my apartment and opened it. It was very cold outside, and my ratty shirt provided little protection against the bitter wind. I grabbed the paper and quickly shut the door again. I unfolded the paper and scanned the first couple pages. Below an article about a robbery, I spotted a picture of a large deep sea fish. Puzzled, I looked at the article that went along with the picture. It was the same exhibition that I'd dreamed about, and it was celebrating its 5th anniversary.

I was just thinking that I'd check it out (it was my day off, after all), when the coffee maker dinged. I grabbed a chipped mug from the cupboard and filled it with steaming coffee. I added some milk until it cooled down a bit, then took a long drink from it. I read more about the exhibition while I finished off my coffee. It was already almost noon, so I figured I'd grab something to eat at the café a couple of doors down, and then head over to the gallery.

I'll have to walk, I thought, looking grudgingly out the window at the overcast sky. I don't have _that_ much money to spare. With a resigned sigh, I stood from the table and walked back to my room. I changed from my pajamas into a green t-shirt and khakis. I know it's useless to try to tame my unruly purple hair, but that didn't stop me from glaring at my reflection. I put on my only coat, which was so worn and tattered that it really wouldn't shield me from the cold, so I tied a thin blue scarf around my neck before I stepped outside. It wouldn't help either. I needed new clothes.

I stepped outside, trying not to shiver too much as the wind picked up. I double checked that the door was locked, and started down the stairs. I rounded the corner and started down the sidewalk. I stopped at the café, and decided I had just enough money on hand for a little snack and admission for the art gallery. I glanced at the menu, knowing I should get something filling, but my eyes stopped moving once I reached the different flavors of macaroons.

Crap.

I ordered four macaroons to go, internally scolding myself as I ate them. I finished them too soon, and tossed the bag in a nearby trash can. I didn't have to go much further to get to the gallery, but I walked faster anyway, eager to get out of the cold. I thought I heard a girl crying from somewhere behind me. I walked even faster. The sound reminded me of far too many horror movies for it to pass beneath my notice. I finally spotted the gallery across the street and, ignoring the cars that were honking their horns at me, jogged across the street. I threw the doors open, and the warm interior of the gallery was a relief. I pulled my thin scarf off, stuffed it in my pocket, and went to the reception desk to pay and to grab a brochure.


	2. Entering the Gallery

**(A.N.)**

**Hey, everyone! Thank you for checking this out! This is my first story, so I'd really appreciate it if you'd leave a review telling me what you think. I'm sorry the last chapter wasn't very exciting... This one won't be either; the story will start to pick up in the next chapter. **

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Chapter Two

Ib's POV

Okay, so maybe Maddi was a little more trouble than I had originally anticipated. She wasn't being loud or anything, it's just that the second I took my eyes off of her, she would wander a little ways off, and make me momentarily panic. But, besides that, I really did enjoy the gallery. I guess I'd forgotten how much I enjoyed Guertena's art style.

I recognized some of the paintings, surprisingly. I remembered ones like 'Worry', which depicted a single eye on a white face; 'The Lady in Red' which looks just like it sounds; and 'Your Dark Figure' which was of a cat's head. I'd seen many things that I liked, and I hadn't even exited the first room.

It was strange though. When I saw 'The Lady in Red', I physically recoiled from it, a feeling of dread in the pit of my stomach. I read in the brochure that this painting represented a dishonest woman who wished to court Guertena for his inheritance. I couldn't help but admire the amount of emotion that Guertena was able to put into this painting, enough so that it struck fear into me. Shuddering, I moved on the next painting. This one depicted a man being hanged upside down by his ankle. Sheesh. Guertena sure knew exactly how to unsettle people with his paintings. Maddi is probably too young to be freaked out by these paintings, but I still didn't want to force her to be around them. So I turned around to grab her hand, so we could move on, and perhaps find some happier paintings. I turned to where she was, or rather, where she had just been.

Not again. Where did she go in five seconds?! I whirled around, my eyes sifting through the small groups of people gathered around paintings. I gasped.

Garry's POV

'Embodiment of Spirit'. Hmm. An interesting title. It was a sculpture of a red rose with a coiled stem. Beautifully detailed petals were scattered around its base. I thought it was gorgeous overall, but it made me sorrowful for some reason, and looking at the petals that had fallen from the rose made me cringe. I suppose this is why Guertena's work is so popular; it's very deep and makes you consider your own emotions.

I was just about to move on, when I felt a firm tug on the hem of my jacket. I looked down, and saw a tiny girl with dark brown pigtails and red eyes holding onto my jacket and staring up at me.

"Puwpoh." She mumbled, pointing at my hair.

"Uh huh." I replied, smiling. "It's purple, alright."

I heard someone gasp from a little ways away. I looked around, and saw a girl with the same brown hair and red eyes as the toddler next to me. She was covering her mouth with both hands, and her eyes were huge; she looked scandalized. She hurried over to me, and scooped up the girl.

"I-I'm so sorry, sir!" She cried. And then to the girl: "Maddi, you know better than to run off by yourself! Don't bother nice people." Maddi looked heartbroken, and probably would've started crying if I hadn't spoken up just then.

"Oh, no, she wasn't bothering me at all! She's really cute. Is she your sister?" I asked as I gently patted Maddi on the head. She grasped my hand with both of hers.

"Yes, she is. I should've been watching her more closely, I'm sorry, sir."

"It's Garry." I said, holding out my free hand. Maddi still had a death grip on the other one.

"Ib." The girl responded, enfolding my hand in hers, and shaking firmly.

I gently pulled my hand away from Maddi's, and while she reached for it forlornly, it didn't seem like she'd start crying.

"It was nice meeting you, Garry. Now, Maddi, let's get out of the nice man's hair."

"Puwpoh!"

"Yes, it is." Ib said as she walked away.

I smiled to myself. Both of those girls were so cute.

_I guess I can get going now. I'm getting pretty bored of things like this these days. _I'd completely forgotten what it was that had motivated me to come here today. I took one last glance around the gallery, my gaze lingering briefly on 'The Hanged Man', and I started towards the exit.

Ib's POV

Maddi started squirming in my arms, so I told her that she could walk around, provided she didn't run off again. She mumbled something that resembled an affirmation, so I set her on the ground again. There wasn't much else to see on this floor, so I headed toward the last two sculptures.

'Death of the Individual' set yet another twinge of dread down my spine, but the last one, 'Reserved Seat', actually gave me a warm sense of security. I turned to my right to ask what Maddi thought, but she was a few yards away, wandering off yet again. I sighed and began following her.

I rounded the corner, and saw a single painting that covered almost the entire wall. But no Maddi. _What?_ I thought. She was just here a second ago. I started walking toward the other end of the hall, glancing at the large painting as I went. It was a scribbly painting of many different scenes combined into one. 'Fabricated World' said the tag underneath. _Huh. What a strange title. _

The lights suddenly began to flicker. I glanced up in surprise. Was there a storm outside? Is this a blackout? But the lights stopped flickering soon after, and I gave a little sigh of relief. I reached the other end of the hallway and looked around. Still no Maddi. For that matter, I couldn't see _anyone_.

"H-Hello?" I called softly, not wanting to cause a ruckus.

I continued to explore, but I became aware that I was hearing footsteps that didn't belong to me. They never ceased, and seemed to be getting louder every moment. I hurried down the stairs, suddenly very uncomfortable, calling for Maddi. I didn't hear anything other than the footsteps. I half ran, half walked to the last room in the art gallery. Here there was only a large floor painting of a deep sea fish. I noticed that a section of the velvet rope that surrounded the painting was missing. And there were footprints of blue ink leading into the painting. At the edge of the painting the ink smeared, as if they were water damaged.

I looked more closely, and it almost seemed like the painting was shimmering, as if it were real water. Feeling silly, yet curious at the same time, I reached out two of my fingers. When I touched the painting, my fingers when straight into it as if it really were water! I tried to pull my fingers back, startled, but it was as if the water had frozen around my fingers; I couldn't pull them back. As if this weren't bad enough, I noticed that my hand, despite my best efforts, was sinking further into the water at an alarming rate. I dropped my bag, and tried to tug my arm out of the water with my other, but to no avail.

Soon my entire arm was submerged, and I was lying flat on the ground, screaming for help, trying desperately to pull myself out of the water. But I wasn't strong enough to overcome this unknown force, and I was flung headlong into the water. I sank slowly through the painting.

Garry's POV

As I approached the stairs that descended towards the exit, I saw that girl, Ib, walking purposefully towards a hallway that I hadn't noticed before. I had a sudden, violent urge to cry out, to tell to her stop. I frowned. _What is with me today?_ I tried to put it out of my mind.

I passed the reception desk which was, inexplicably, empty. _That's strange_, I thought, _where did the receptionist go?_

I glanced to my left and stopped. I saw a very narrow gap in the wall with a stairwell that I hadn't noticed before. The stairs went so far down that I couldn't see where they ended. I stood there for a moment, wondering how I hadn't seen it before. I looked around, looked back at the strange staircase, shrugged, and started down the stairs.

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**I'll try to update this tomorrow. I might even update it later today, but don't hold me to that, okay? Thanks again, guys!**


	3. Remembering

**(A.N.) I lied, sorry. But, it's updated now, so don't be mad, please! D:**

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Chapter Three

Garry's POV

The staircase seemed to go on forever. The walls around me faded slowly from white to a deep red. I had just started thinking that I should turn around when I reached the bottom. The first thing I saw in this large room was a vase of water with a single blue rose sitting in it. _How strange_, I thought, _I've never seen a _blue_ rose before_. _Is there dye in the water?_ But as I reached out to touch the rose, I saw that the water was perfectly clear.

When my fingers made contact with the smooth stem, I felt a strange prickling sensation. I suddenly felt very vulnerable just standing there. I turned around to go back up the steps, but the gap in the wall through which I had come was no longer there. I stood there for a moment, stunned. I felt my grip on the rose's stem slacken, and it fell to the ground with a dull 'flump'. Just then, I felt a sharp pain on my arm. I rolled up my sleeve and saw a rather nasty cut just below my elbow. Puzzled, I reached down to pick up the rose again, when I noticed a few petals had fallen off when I dropped it. I held the rose above the vase so that the stem touched the water, and it instantly grew its missing petals back. I noticed that the pain in my arm had gone, so I rolled back my sleeve again, and saw that the cut had gone completely, not even leaving a red mark in its wake.

Looking around, I started to realize just how familiar this entire situation was: this hall, the rose and its healing power, and the painting of a lady in a blue dress on the opposite wall. I started. I hadn't noticed her painting before. It scared me for reasons I couldn't explain. I hurried down the hallway and through a door, all the while keeping my eyes on the painting. I shut the door and leaned against it.

I held my head in my hands and slid down the door, trying desperately to make sense of all these disjointed memories. _The gallery, the girl, the rose, the hallway, the painting; why do I recognize them?!_

I took a deep breath, and focused.

_I'm walking down an impossibly long staircase. I'm starting to get nervous, and I'm going to turn back when I notice that the staircase opens into a room in just a few dozen steps. I hurry down the last of them, and look around the room I've found myself in. I see a painting similar to one that I saw in the gallery, but she's wearing blue, not red. I spot a lovely blue rose in a vase. I gingerly remove it from the water, and examine it closely. With my back turned to the painting, I suddenly hear a large shattering sound. I freeze up for a moment, and slowly turn around. 'The Lady in Blue' had busted the glass out of the front of her painting, and her front half was sticking out of the frame. She was baring her fang-like teeth, and she was crawling towards me at an alarming pace. She was upon me almost instantly. The force of the impact knocked me on my back. She crawled up onto my stomach, and started biting and clawing at the hand that held the rose. I threw the rose away from me, and she scuttled after it. I hurriedly stood up, shaking. I had horrid scratches on my left hand and arm. I started backing away as the painting began gnawing at the rose. I noticed that as she ate away at it, the more pain I felt. I fled the room, and spotted a key lying near the doorframe. I used it to lock the thing in the room, and started down a long hallway. I had just barely made it through the door at the end, when the accumulated pain became too much, and I collapsed. Time passed in a blur, when I saw, through my fuzzy vision, a young girl looking down at me with a concerned expression. She took the key that I had clutched in my hands and turns around. I try to protest, but I'm so weak it hurts for me to breathe. I black out. I wake to the same girl shaking my shoulders and calling out. I realize that the pain is gone. I crawl backwards hurriedly, telling her to stay back. She responds by holding out the blue rose, now fully healed. I apologize and introduce myself, and ask her what her name is. She looks at the ground and, in a shy little voice says "Ib."_

I snapped out of my reverie to the sound of someone pounding on the door I was leaning against. I quickly stood up. So, that was why I had vaguely recognized Ib. She and I had been here before. Five years ago. And I had wanted to stop her from going down that hallway because that was how she had gotten stuck here last time. And that meant…

I started down the hallway at a run. Ib was in here, and I needed to find her.

Ib's POV

I realized that I had stopped sinking, so I opened my eyes.

I was standing in a navy blue hallway that was decorated with unusual paintings. _Where am I? Where's Maddi?!_ I thought, desperately looking around. I turned left and dashed down the hallway. At the end, there was simply a clear glass vase with a single red rose resting against the side. It was absolutely gorgeous, and I couldn't resist taking it. I turned around, and there was a word scrawled on the floor that hadn't been there a moment ago.

**THIEF**.

I took a deep breath and started back down the corridor. This all seemed uncomfortably familiar. There was a single door at the end of the hallway. It was locked. I looked to my right and saw a table with a pen and a piece of paper that said 'Sign In Here Please'. So I wrote my name in shaky penmanship. No sooner had I lifted the pen from the paper that it rolled into a tight scroll and disappeared. How strange.

I heard a click, and the door in front of me swung open. Slightly perturbed, I walked through the door-frame. The walls were a deep green, and lined with paintings of insects. I started to walk through the narrow room, but clawed hands shot from the walls, and scratched at my hair, my clothes, and any exposed flesh. I ran through the last of them, crying out from pain. There was another door, but it was locked from the other side, so I just stood there, looking down the room, my breath shaking.

"Hello again," I heard a tiny voice say.

I looked around but I didn't see anyone.

"Down here," It said impatiently.

I obediently looked down, and I saw nothing but a tiny ant.

"Oh, uh, hello," I said uncertainly.

"You're starting to remember this place, aren't you?" the ant asked in a flat voice.

"So I _have_ been here before?!"

The ant nodded.

"It'll be alright. He's in here with you. He'll be along shortly."

"Who?"

"I never learned his name. You just need to stay calm and remember all you can, because things are changing, and you'll need all the knowledge you can get."

The sudden flood of memories caught me off guard. I remembered the carnivorous paintings, the rose that connected me to life, the mannequin heads; everything. The world started spinning, and I lost my balance. As I fell to the floor, that last thing I recalled was a man with purple hair and a friendly smile reaching out to me: my friend, Garry.

And then the world went black.

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**Not my favorite part of the story so far, but it had to be written. I'll update soon!**

**By the way, a lot of this is pre-written, and I had to chop it up, so if the end of the chapters seem kind of awkward, I'm sorry.**

**If you notice any grammatical errors, ****_please_**** point them out to me, and I will fix them; I wrote this pretty late at night, so I might not have caught them all.**


	4. A New Enemy

Chapter Four

Ib's POV

I was shaken roughly from my indistinct nightmares. I distantly heard a man's voice desperately calling my name. Judging by the hysterical note in his voice, he'd been calling me a long time, with little or no response.

I gradually regained consciousness, and slowly opened my eyes. Garry was kneeling beside me, his hands on my shoulders. He looked absolutely terrified. He noticed that my eyes were open, relinquished his grip on my shoulders, and slumped backwards with his eyes shut.

"Thank goodness you're alright. I thought you were dead for a moment."

I tried to sit up, and I noticed that Garry had laid me flat and covered me with his jacket. Garry noticed my struggle to sit up, so he firmly but gently lowered me back to the ground.

"You need to rest, Ib. You were out for a long time, so I can't be sure what kind of condition you're in."

"Garry? Is it really you?" I asked in a shaky voice.

He nodded. "I take it you remember me as well?" He said with a small smile.

I closed my eyes and nodded.

"Wait," I exclaimed. "How did you find me? The door over there was locked." I gestured to the door in front of us.

"I'm not too sure myself. I was walking through an empty hallway when I came to a dead end. I was panicking a bit, because I knew you were here, and I wanted to find you, but I turned around, and there was a door that I hadn't seen before. I opened it," he said, pointing to the door I had just mentioned. "And it led out right here. You had collapsed, and you were really pale. It scared me half to death." He looked at me with renewed concern. "Are you sure you're alright?"

"Yes, I'm fine." I insisted, sitting up despite Garry's protests.

"I'm not sure how I came across that door, but I'm so lucky that I did. I'm not sure how I ever would've found you otherwise."

"I think I know what happened." The ant's voice had reappeared.

"What?" I asked, ignoring Garry's confusion.

"The last time you were here, you two helped many paintings on your way out. I'm sure that now that you're back, they're willing to help you. They have a surprising amount of power when Mary isn't around."

"You mean paintings like the Bride and Groom?" Garry asked. He had located the voice, and didn't seem the least bit put off by a talking ant.

"Exactly."

"Wait," I interjected, because I had remembered something. "Where _is_ Mary?"

The ant paused for a moment.

"The last time you two were here, her presence vanished," the ant said, slowly. "But, for these past few years, I've sensed her presence growing stronger. She is back to her usual strength, but I cannot tell you why. I think you're best bet is to get out of here as soon as you can. Although, it won't be easy for you two to escape this time. _They_ have both learned from their previous mistakes. You two are the only "guests" who have ever escaped this gallery, so it won't be willing to let you go again."

"When you say 'they', who are you talking about?" Garry asked.

"Mary and her father, of course."

"Her father?"

"Yes. The creator of this gallery: Weiss Guertena."

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**Oh, yes, I forgot to mention that that's my headcannon: Guertena was Mary's father.**

**It's going to be an important point in story, so I'm sorry if you don't think I'm right.**


	5. Taken

**(A.N.) Sorry, I forgot to upload yesterday, but I uploaded two chapters for you! They're both very short, so it actually worked out pretty well this way.**

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Chapter Five

Garry's POV

_We have to get out of here. Facing Mary almost got us killed last time, so facing her and her father combined might just be the end of us._ I turned to face Ib who was staring numbly at the ant. "He's right. We should get moving as possible. Can you stand?"

She nodded, and, with my help, was able to shakily get to her feet. She gasped, her knees buckled, and would've collapsed again if I hadn't caught her.

"Ib?! What's wrong? Are you alright?"

"M-Maddi! She's in here somewhere too! We have to find her!"

"Your baby sister? Are you sure?"

She nodded, and her eyes started to tear up. I grasped her shoulders, and looked her in the eye.

"Ib, listen to me. I promise you that we will find Maddi. We won't leave without her."

She nodded again, and wiped her eyes. We thanked the ant for his help, and left through the door that I'd just come through. Ib removed the coat I'd wrapped her in, and handed it back to me. As she did so, I noticed many gashes in her arms. I took hold of her wrist and inspected her cuts, despite her insistence that she was alright. I dropped her arm after deciding that her wounds weren't serious.

"We'll need to find you a vase. Does it hurt very much?"

She winced, but shook her head.

I paused for a moment, and then dug around in my pocket. "Here we are," I said, and pulled out a lemon candy.

"Here," I handed the candy to her.

"Thanks," she said with a small smile.

We continued through the gallery, and I recognized less and less as we continued. The ant was right; things had indeed changed around here. There would be more puzzles to solve, and more obstacles to face.

_This won't be fun._

Ib's POV

I can't believe forgot about Maddi, even if it was only for a few minutes. I can't let anything happen to her. If something did, I'd never be able to forgive myself. And if Mary finds her before we do… I shuddered. I didn't want to think about that. _We'll definitely find her first. We have to. _

I looked down at the red rose. It had lost several petals when I was attacked by the hands. I rubbed my arm. Despite what I'd told Garry, the cuts hurt like crazy, but I didn't want to concern him anymore than I had to. After all, I'd just fainted.

We walked into a round room, with a dozen doors encircling its perimeter. Every door was blocked by a headless mannequin. Garry and I both froze, waiting to see if the statues would move. When it didn't seem like they would, we walked slowly to the center of the room.

"Umm… Which door should we go through?" I asked.

"I suppose we should check if they're locked first."

"Okay."

We both approached a different statue, and started moving them. It was kind of hard for me to move them due to my aching arm, so Garry was clearing doorways much faster than I was. Every door so far had been locked, so I moved the last mannequin with apprehension. I paused for a moment, a bit tired out from moving the heavy statues. Garry reached for the doorknob, and turned it. It was unlocked!

"Yes! What a relief." Garry exclaimed, and walked through the door.

I started to follow, when I heard a familiar voice cry out in the distance.

"_EEEBY_!"

I whirled around. Maddi's voice was emanating distantly from a door across the room. I sprinted over to it, and tried in vain to open the door. I heard Maddi crying, and I started crying too. Suddenly, her voice was cut off, as if someone had clapped their hand over her mouth. I pounded on the door, calling Maddi's name desperately.

Garry had since come running back to me.

"Ib! What's wrong?"

"I could hear Maddi crying," I said, my voice garbled. "But I can't anymore."

"Listen to me, Ib. All we have to do is go and find a key. Then we'll come right back and get her."

"I'm afraid that won't work." An unfamiliar voice said.

We turned around, and saw, on the opposite wall, a painting of a man in a tuxedo. I vaguely recognized him from a puzzle we'd completed last time, which had involved a wedding ring.

"Why not?" Garry asked.

"I fear she has been taken."

"By whom?!" Garry asked angrily. "She's just a little kid!"

"I tried to unlock the door for you two, but Mary's powers are too strong," The groom said, looking downcast. "I believe that _she_ has taken the girl."

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**Once again, pointing out errors would be appreciated.**

**Also, uploads may be a bit irregular now, because school is starting; homework and whatnot. I will try, though!**


	6. Division

**WAAGH! I forgot to update! So sorry, guys!**

**Again, please point out any annoying grammatical errors so it'll be easier for everyone else to enjoy!**

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Chapter Six

Ib's POV

_No_. I dropped to my knees and buried my face in my hands, sobbing. I felt Garry put his arm around my shoulders.

"I don't understand. How is Mary still here? We burned her painting last time we were here." Garry sounded horrified.

"It took Guertena a few years, but he was finally able to find and repaint her portrait. Now she's just as strong as she was before she was destroyed."

Garry lowered his head.

"So we have no choice. We have to face Mary again."

I wiped my eyes and looked up. We couldn't waste any time going after her. I shrugged off Garry's arm, and got to my feet. He stood up along with me. He gave me a reassuring smile.

"Don't worry, Ib. Mary won't be a problem now. We're both a lot bigger than her."

I smiled weakly back, but in the back of my mind, I could tell that he didn't really believe what he'd said. I appreciated his efforts to keep me calm, but I wasn't a kid anymore. I knew _exactly_ how much trouble we were in.

Just then, I started hearing a faint scraping noise. Garry must've heard it too, because he suddenly became very quiet.

It went for a long time, but it was punctuated with short pauses.

"_What is that?"_ I whispered.

"_I don't know," _Garry answered. He looked really freaked out.

The scraping sound stopped, and I could've sworn I heard muffled footsteps heading away from the door. A few moments passed, and then I heard the lock click, and the door creaked open of its own accord. I whirled to face the painting of the groom.

"Did you do that?"

He looked as surprised as I felt. "N-No, I didn't," He frowned. "I think it might've been Mary."

_That doesn't make any sense. Why would Mary _want_ us to follow her?_ I took a step towards the door, when Garry grabbed my shoulder.

"Ib, I-I don't know about this. What if it's a trap?"

I looked up at him. He was trying to hide it, but he was terrified. I gave him a weak smile. "It really doesn't matter," I said, gently brushing his hand from my shoulder. "I know that I heard Maddi get taken, and if I have to face Mary to get her back, then that's what I'll do." I turned away from him. "You don't have to do this with me, though. It's my fault that Maddi got stuck in here; it's not your responsibility. I don't want to endanger you because of my own mistakes." I lowered my head, and started through the door.

Garry took hold of my arm and firmly spun me around. He seemed hurt, but looked almost angry.

"Ib, please. We're in this together, aren't we? You'll be in more danger if you're by yourself, and we _barely_ made it out of here last time. I'm scared too. I won't deny that. But I promised you that I'd help get your sister back, and I intend to keep that promise."

He let go of my hand and smiled. Then he gently ruffled my hair and led the way into the new room.

Garry's POV

I keep forgetting that Ib isn't nine years old anymore. Here she was, making grown-up gestures, while I was acting like a coward. I felt a certain admiration for this girl; she'd always been braver than me, even when I was eighteen and she was nine. I know I'll never be as courageous as her, but I can at least put on a brave face and pretend.

I ruffled Ib's hair, and started into the new room. The walls were lined with bookshelves, and had two doors at the end. I paused near the front of the room, and pulled a book off at random. It was titled 'Ruin of the Heart'. I flipped it open, and scanned through a few sentences.

_If your spirit suffers too much, you will soon start to hallucinate…_

_ And In the end, you will be destroyed._

A shiver went down my spine. Something about those words made me really uncomfortable.

_And more worrying yet…_

_ Is that you will not even be conscious of that fact._

_What does that mean; how could you not realize that your mind was deteriorating?_ I thought. I shut the book with a soft thump and slid it back into its place. I felt Ib brush past me as I reached for another book. This one was actually written by Guertena himself. It was actually pretty interesting, and I was starting to get into it when I heard Ib call me.

"Hey, Garry, look at this."

I looked over at her, and she was pointing at the wall at the far end of the room. I replaced the book I was holding and walked to her side. I directed my vision to where she was pointing, and recoiled a little.

There were four words gouged into the drywall, as if scrawled there with a knife.

_COME FIND ME, IB._

_Well, that explains the noise we heard earlier_, I thought. Ib dropped her hand numbly, staring at the words with glazed eyes.

"She wrote this. Mary wrote this, didn't she?" Ib's voice was flat and emotionless.

"Yeah. I think so," My throat was dry.

My eyes flicked downwards for a moment, but I saw something that caught my eye. I saw a line of minuscule arrows carved into the wall at about ankle height. They led to the door on the right hand side where they stopped. I guess Mary really did want us to find her.

"Through here, Ib. Let's go."

I led her towards the door, and she followed without question. The door hung slightly ajar, so I pushed it open slowly, half expecting something to leap out at me. The corridor that followed sloped slightly downward and split in two about twenty yards away.

And it was lined by smiling dolls.

They were all being hung from their throats, and they were scattered randomly across the ceiling. They were all swaying slightly, as if someone had just run though here with their arms spread wide. Behind all of the them, I could see the words 'TIME OUT ROOM' scrawled in red.

I froze where I stood, too scared to move. The dolls seemed to turn and face me, and I swear their smiles grew. I could hear faint whispering amongst them, but their voices where raspy and choked, and I couldn't make out the words. Ib stepped forward and gently touched one of their faces.

"Why are these here? It's kind of mean to leave them hanging."

I pulled her away from the hanging doll.

"Ib, what're you doing?! Don't touch them; they're dangerous."

Ib gave me a funny look.

"What's so dangerous about a load of stuffed rabbits?"

I could feel the blood drain from my face. I must've given her quite a look, because she looked a bit nervous and pulled away from my arms.

_'If your spirit suffers too much, you will soon start to hallucinate.'_

Come to think of it, hadn't something like this happened last time we were here? _Yes_, I thought._ Ib had referred to these monsters as "cute"_. Had she been seeing them as rabbits then as well?

'_And in the end, you will be destroyed.'_

Ib had begun untying a doll from its noose, so I firmly took hold of her hand and led her quickly down the corridor. She seemed puzzled, but offered no resistance. I didn't let go until we had safely rounded the corner.

"What is it, Garry?" Ib asked, worriedly. "Are you okay?"

As much as I wanted to tell her, I think she's been through enough. If she saw those… _things_ for what they really were, she might faint again.

"It's… It's nothing Ib, don't worry about it."

She gave me a calculating look, but then relaxed.

I turned away, and looked around. The corridor went on for a short distance either way you turned. At one end was a door, and at the other was a vase of water.

"Hey, Ib, look!" I said excitedly. "Now you can heal your rose."

She approached the vase and did so. As she came back, she rolled back her sweater sleeve and rubbed her arm. "I'll have to be more careful now, I suppose," she said, smiling. We both started towards the door at the other end of the short hallway. The door was surprisingly heavy, so it took a while before the door began to creak open.

This room was very long, and had deep blue walls. There were half dozen doors on the two long sides, and one at the far end. Ib walked straight across to the opposite door. "What the-? There's no doorknob!" She called back to me. _Seriously?_ I approached the far end of the room, and looked at the door with Ib. She was right; the door had no knob. It _did_ however, have a something like a tiny picture frame where the knob should've been.

I looked closer, and I could see tiny words etched onto the panel.

"_A dozen empty pieces_

_For a dozen empty spaces._

_Find them."_

"What does that mean?" I asked, confused. "It's some sort of riddle…"

I sat there pondering possible solutions to this riddle for a minute or to, when I heard Ib clap her hands.

"I've got it!" She exclaimed. "'Empty pieces' and 'empty spaces'. It's a puzzle. A milk puzzle!"

"Oh!" I nodded, understanding. "So we find all twelve pieces, put them here, and the door will open. It makes sense. And the pieces are "empty" because they're blank."

She nodded, and looked around her.

"So, I suppose there's a puzzle piece in each room? There are twelve of them, after all."

"I guess that makes sense."

"So, should we look in the rooms?"

We walked to two rooms that were side by side. The door I opened led into a single room, with no other doors. Ib's did as well. "Hey, Garry, if all of the puzzles are like these two, we can split up, and complete them quickly, without any chance of getting separated."

"Ah… O-Okay, Ib, but be really careful, and yell if something happens."

"Don't worry, I'll be fine. Leave your door open when you finish a puzzle so I know where you are, and I'll do the same."

I nodded and watched as she entered one of the puzzle rooms and closed the door. I entered the one opposite, eager to complete these puzzles.

* * *

**"If you're cheesy and ya know it, clap your hands!"**

**...**

***clap* ... *clap* **

**I'm sorry! *cries***

**More tommorow! *crosses fingers***


	7. Sleep

Ib's POV

The door shut with a small click.

I turned to face the room.

It was completely empty except for a pedestal at the far end. As I approached it, I saw a small blue box resting atop it. I reached out to take it, but it wouldn't budge, and when I tried to lift the top, I realized that it was locked.

Confused, I turned around. There was writing scrawled on the wall in red paint

_WHICH ONE LIVES?_

I turned back around. Four identical paintings adorned the wall above the blue box. They all depicted a smiling woman sitting beneath a tree. _'Which one lives?' _I thought. I studied each painting closely, figuring that this was a sort of 'Spot the Difference' game. I had studied the paintings at least five times apiece, and was about to give up, when I thought I saw one of the women blink. I did a double take. I slowly drew closer to the painting, until my nose was almost touching it, when she blinked again. I took a few steps back, cleared my throat, and pointed at the painting.

"This one," I called in a clear voice.

The woman I had pointed at smiled a little wider, and stood. She approached me, and reached out her arm. She dropped something through the frame, and into the room. She then returned to her place beneath the tree.

I knelt down to see what she had dropped, and saw that it was a tiny blue key. I stood up and walked to the box. I inserted the key and twisted. I heard the tiniest of clicks, and the box's lid popped open. Inside, sitting on a piece of velvet, was a small white puzzle piece. I lifted from its case, and exited the room, leaving the door open behind me.

I approached the door, and as I did so, I noticed that Garry had already placed a puzzle piece. I looked down at mine. It was an edge piece. I put it in next to Garry's, where it neatly slid into place.

The next room was also empty, save six paintings at the end. The paintings all had different colored frames. They were red, orange, yellow, green… _Wait_, I thought, _these are all of the colors of the rainbow. But they're out of order._

_That must be it!_ I immediately set about putting them in order. The red one on the far left was locked in place, but the other ones came off of their hooks easily. I arranged them so that, from left to right, they were in this order: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and purple.

As soon as I relinquished my grip on the purple-framed painting, I heard a faint creak from my left. I looked around, and saw that the red painting had swung outward on tiny hinges, revealing a hollow place that the painting had previously been covering. I reached inside, and pulled out another blue box. Opening it, I found it was snugly holding another puzzle piece in the same velvety fabric as before. I left the room, and when I put the puzzle piece in its place, I saw that Garry had placed two more pieces in the frame.

I completed the next three puzzles fairly uneventfully. Each time I exited a puzzle room, Garry had already placed another piece in the frame, until, by the time I was entering the third-to-last room, he was on his last puzzle.

I was inserting my next-to-last piece, when I noticed that Garry hadn't come out of the last puzzle room. _Huh. _I thought. _Maybe he needs a little help._ I pushed the thought to the back of my mind, and pressed on. I opened the final door, and immediately noticed the difference. Instead of a large, mostly empty room, I found myself looking at a very narrow passage way that turned to the right almost immediately. I stood there a moment, taken aback. Then I plunged into the hallway.

I reached a place where the hallway branched away into three separate hallways, and realized that I was, in fact, in a maze. I swallowed. I looked carefully down the right passage, then the straight one. When I turned to look down the left one, however, I saw a headless mannequin approaching me at a run, with its clawed arms outstretched. I shrieked, and clapped a hand over my mouth before stumbling backwards. Then I turned around and ran.

Even in my panicked state, I vaguely remembered to hug the right side, thanks to a trick I had learned from… somewhere. I heard the statue growl in a raspy, guttural voice. I heard more of the voices from my left and right. I kept running through the maze, my breath repeatedly catching in my chest.

I finally reached a dead end with a table in the corner. On the table rested a blue box identical to the others I'd found. I approached the table, and opened the box, just to make sure that there was a puzzle piece inside. There was. I sighed, and pocketed the little box.

I heard the same growl from before right behind me just then. Before I could react, I felt several sharp objects rake through my sweater and into my back. I cried out and started off at a run, looking over my shoulder. I saw one of the headless statues standing where I'd been, along with a small pile of red rose petals. The next few minutes passed in a blurred frenzy, with me bumping into walls and gasping for breath.

I rounded a final corner and burst through the door. I slammed it shut and then leaned against it, eyes shut, breathing hard. I twisted my body at an awkward angle, trying to see the scratches on my back. They weren't nearly as bad as I thought they'd be. My sweater was torn, and there was a little blood, but it wasn't a big deal.

Once I'd gathered my bearings, I looked around more closely. Garry _still_ hadn't emerged from the last puzzle room. After I'd placed my last puzzle piece, I approached the room that Garry was in. A sudden sense of foreboding washed over me. Something was wrong, and I knew it. I took a steadying breath and flung the door open.

This room was smaller than the others had been, and had several bookshelves obscuring my view of most of the room. Walking past them, I saw the remainder of the room. There was a covered easel in one corner, and many other bookshelves lined the walls. I turned to my right, and, slumped up against the bookshelf was…

"Garry!" I yelled. "Are you okay? What's wrong?!" I ran over to him and took hold of his shoulder. My hand came away covered in his blood. I pulled him away from the wall just long enough to look at his wounds. There was a nasty series of gashes across his upper back. _Oh, no. What happened to him?!_ I shook his shoulder. His head lolled to one side. "Dammit," I said under my breath. I pulled back my hand… _SMACK!_

His eyelids fluttered weakly, and he muttered in his sleep. I shook him again. "Garry!"

He sat up, and though they were half-shut, his eyes were open. "Ib…?"

"Yes, it's me! What happened?! Why were you sleeping?"

"Ib… sorry, but… I need… to rest… Been… hurt…" He reached up and took hold of the hand I'd placed on his shoulder. "Please don't… leave without me, o… kay?" His hand went limp and his head dropped back against the books.

Despite my best efforts, I couldn't wake him this time. His head just flopped around on his neck when I tried to shake him. This "sleep" wasn't natural. Something was influencing him. I looked at the floor around him and noticed, to my dismay, that his rose was nowhere to be seen. I sprung to my feet. It had to be here somewhere. I thoroughly searched the room, but I couldn't find it. I approached the door and placed my hand on the knob thinking I'd check the other puzzle rooms, when I remembered that Garry had asked me not to leave. It wouldn't do to have him wake up without my being here.

So I sat down in front of him, figuring I'd just wait until he woke up by himself, and I noticed that there was a slip of paper between two books behind Garry's head. I reached forward and gently moved his head to one side so I could remove the paper. I unfolded it and read: _'To awake the slumbering, close your eyes and count to three'_.

I looked up from the paper at Garry. His breathing was becoming shallow, and unless it was my imagination, he was much paler than normal. If I left him in this state, he would be in terrible danger. So I closed my eyes. _One… Two… Three…_

I opened my eyes again. Nothing appeared to have changed. Garry was still unconscious. But I noticed something out of the corner of my eye, and looked around.

A cord that wasn't there before was now hanging from the ceiling. A note was pinned to it. It said only one word: PULL

So, with one last look at Garry, I reached out my hand, and did just that.


	8. Long Way Ahead

**Thank you all for being patient. I'm ****_really_**** sorry about the large-ish gap, but, this chapter was giving me lots of problems. I had to completely rewrite Ib's part. I'm still not entirely happy with how it turned out, but it's as good as I can get it, so I'm sorry about that.**

**Updates should be more frequent now, but there may be gaps when I have to rewrite things.**

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Chapter Eight

Ib's POV

The floor beneath my feet suddenly disappeared. With a startled scream, I started plummeting downwards. I had fallen for what seemed like forever, when I landed with a surprisingly small bump. My knees buckled under me upon my landing, and I lay there for a moment, sprawled on the floor. Then I got to my feet and observed my surroundings.

It was pitch black.

I slowly turned on the spot, straining my eyes to make out _anything_ through the pressing blackness. I had turned almost all the way around when I finally spotted a tiny speck of light.

I squinted, trying to see what it was. I started forward, not taking my eyes from the speck of light. I kept tripping over things that I couldn't see in the dark, but which felt like easels and boxes. As I approached the light, I could finally see that it was emanating from several candles that sat a few feet above my head on a black dais. It was casting a faint light on something sitting next to it.

I walked around to the other side of the dais, standing on tiptoes and craning my neck, trying to see what the thing was. When I could finally see it, my blood ran cold.

Garry's rose was sitting in a vase filled with red paint, and it was slowly dying. Its petals were as gray and delicate as ash.

I panicked. I desperately leapt as high as I could, reaching for the rose, but I was nowhere near touching the top of the dais, let alone the vase.

_No, no, no! I have to get it down!_ I thought, looking around frantically for something that could help. I couldn't see anything that would be any use.

I stared up at the rose, then turned sideways, and rammed my shoulder into the dais as hard as I could. A huge jolt of pain shot through my arm.

The dais rocked backwards a small amount, and I could hear the vase rattling against it. The candle's flames shook, threatening to go out.

_Damn it, come on, please! _I thought wildly, ramming against the dais yet again. Unless it was my imagination, the vase had slid a few inches closer to the edge.

After a few more strikes against the dais, the vase finally slid off of the edge, narrowly missing me on its descent. It shattered, spraying broken glass and red paint everywhere. A small blue box that I hadn't noticed before fell down next to it.

I fumbled for the rose amongst the mess, accidentally gashing my finger on a large piece of glass before I could get a grip on the stem. I immediately pulled the rose out of the red paint, wiping as much of it off as I could with the edge of my skirt.

There were only two fragile petals still clinging to the stem. I held it close to me, trying not to cry.

I heard a small cough from behind me, and I turned my head in the direction of the sound.

"Hello, girlie," said a rough voice.

The source was coming from just beyond the circle of light cast by the candle, so I couldn't see who what it was.

"H-Hello?" I called, shakily.

"Do not worry, nice girl, I'm your friend," it said. "I remember how nice you were to me last time you were here, so I will help you."

"Who are you?"

"Move me into the light so you can see." It said.

I vaguely remembered the voice, so I wasn't afraid as I approached the source.

I felt around the in the darkness, and caught hold of the edge of an easel. I pulled it into view, and saw that a large blue smiley face was painted on the black background.

"You wouldn't happen to have any more flowers on you, would you, girlie?" said the blue face.

"None that you can eat, no," I smiled. "Why are you down here?"

"Came to rescue you," it said, proudly. "Along with your friend." I clutched the rose closer to my chest.

"You see, _she_ had her statues take his rose from him. They scratched and clawed until he finally let it go. She put it down here so you could watch it slowly wither away. But," it said, smiling in a satisfied way. "She didn't think that _I_ would come to your rescue!"

"Can you… get me back to my friend? He's hurt really badly," I said, my voice cracking.

"Oh," the painting said, looking a bit taken aback. "Yes. Wait a moment."

He squeezed his eyes shut, concentrating hard. After a few moments, he opened them again. "Turn around."

I did, and saw a crystal vase full of clear water sitting on the ground. I quickly knelt down and submerged the stem in the water.

I sighed in relief as I watched the rose slowly regrow its petals. It was soon back to its normal blue.

_Garry's going to be waking up soon,_ I thought. _I'd better get back as soon as I can, so he doesn't panic._

I pulled it back out of the vase, and turned to face the painting. "Is there a way out of here?" I asked.

"Yes, leave it to me. Don't forget to bring that little box with you, though," it said, looking behind me.

I turned, and saw the little blue box that had fallen from the dais. I bent down to pick it up, and pulled it, dripping, from the puddle of red paint. I undid the tiny latch, and gently opened it. The final milk puzzle piece was nestled in a piece of red velvet. I smiled, closed it again, and slid it into my pocket.

I faced the painting again, about to ask about the exit, but the question died on my tongue when I saw that the face had been replaced by a blue doorknob.

"Goodbye, girlie," the voice said, and I reached out, twisted the knob, and pulled it open.

It swung forward, revealing a completely black void. I sat on the edge of the frame, my legs dangling down into the black. Holding Garry's rose snugly against me, I slid off of the frame, and began sinking slowly down… down… down…

Garry's POV

I detachedly felt someone shaking my shoulder, but my eyelids were too heavy, and I couldn't lift them. I felt a stinging slap against my cheek, and was able to force my eyes partially open. My vision was very blurry, but I think I saw Ib sitting beside me, talking to me. I couldn't really tell what she was saying, and soon, despite my efforts, I drifted back into my mostly-asleep state. I thought I heard her scream, and I tried desperately to force myself to wake up, but I couldn't. It was getting very difficult to breathe.

All of a sudden, I snapped back to reality with a huge gasp for air. Judging by the amount of air I was trying to take in at once, I think I might've stopped breathing at some point. I opened my eyes and looked groggily around.

"…Ib?" I called softly.

No response.

"Ib!" I said, a little louder. At the same time, I was struggling to get up, bracing myself against the bookshelf. With one sweeping glance around the room, I could see that Ib was not in here with me.

I felt my heart sink, remembering the scream I had heard. _She wouldn't have left me here. Not of her own volition,_ I thought. I staggered to the door and opened it. She wasn't in the hall, and the puzzle at the end was not yet filled.

"Where did you go, Ib?" I said under my breath. "I know I just saw you."

_Please don't let anything have happened to her._

I went back into the room I'd left, and saw her kneeling in the center of the room, blinking confusedly.

"Ib!" I cried, rushing towards her. I wrapped my arms around her shoulders and squeezed.

"Where on earth were you? You had me worried sick."

I could feel her shaking, and I thought I heard her gulp back a sob.

"What is it?" I asked, quietly. "What happened?"

She hugged me back, tightly.

"I thought you were going to die! You were all pale, and you were barely breathing!" she said into my shoulder.

I held her at arm's length.

"It's alright, Ib. I'm completely fine, see?" I smiled, trying to be as reassuring as I could.

I absently reached up to my shoulder to feel for my wounds, but they were gone.

_Huh? The scratches... They aren't there?_ I thought, confused.

"Oh!" Ib exclaimed. "I got this back for you!" She was holding out my rose, which was in perfect health.

"How did you-?"

"I accidentally opened up a secret room that Mary had set up for me. I found your rose in a vat of paint, but I got it out, and a nice painting brought me a vase, and then helped me escape."

"Thank you, Ib," I smiled. "That makes two times you've saved my life in here. What would I do without you?"

She smiled, shyly.

"Say... you didn't happen to find the last puzzle piece, did you? I looked all over, but it wasn't in here."

"Oh, right," she said. She dug around in her pocket, and withdrew another blue box. "Here it is."

"Great," I said, relieved. "Now we can move forward!"

I helped Ib to her feet, and we both walked out of the room and over to the milk puzzle. She placed the last piece in the frame, and the door swung open.

This next corridor had no visible end or deviations. It was just a dull gray hallway leading the way into darkness. I sighed a long sigh, and blew my hair away from my nose.

"Looks like we still have a very long way to go." I commented dryly. Ib nodded.

I led the way down the hallway. The monotony of the blank gray walls made it seem like we had just taken our first few steps into the hall, when we really had been walking for at least a quarter of an hour. I looked down at Ib, whose eyes were drooping. _How long have we been in this gallery, anyway?_ I glanced down at my watch, but it had stopped ticking without me noticing. _It _feels_ like it's been hours._

"Hey, Ib, if you're tired, we can stop here for a bit so you can sleep."

She paused for a moment, considering, then nodded lazily and sat down. I sat down next to her, even though I didn't need rest. It didn't take long for her breathing to deepen or for her eyes to slide shut.

I looked at her. She really didn't look very well. She had faint circles under her eyes, and her face was paler than it normally was.

She frowned in her sleep, and curled into a ball. She was shivering slightly, so I took off my coat and wrapped it around her shoulders. _I wonder when we'll find Mary. She definitely wants us to find her, but she's making it rather difficult to. It's like she's watching us and laughing; playing with us. _Once this thought took hold in my mind, I looked uncomfortably around the hallway, as if expecting to see her head peek around a corner. I resolved to stay awake and keep watch, no matter how long Ib slept. _She really did need some rest, the poor girl. She didn't say anything about it, though. _It occurred to me that she might be hungry or thirsty as well, but just not saying anything. I eyed my jacket pocket. I still had another little piece of candy, but that wouldn't do much for a person's hunger. _We'll just have to escape as soon as we can_, I thought, worriedly remembering the ant's words. 'It won't be easy for you two to escape this time'. I frowned, my eyelids growing strangely heavy.

I jerked my head up, realizing that I'd nodded off. For how long, I had no idea. It might've been hours, or maybe just a few seconds. But, only a few seconds were necessary to put us in deep trouble, so I sat up straighter, and pinched my arm.

It felt like it had been an hour since Ib had fallen asleep, and my resolve to stay awake was failing. Sleep sounded so comforting, so inviting, that I kept neglecting to pinch myself awake. My head dropped to my chest and my eyes closed.

* * *

**Longest chapter yet! Yay!**

**I'm sorry it cuts off at such a strange part, but there really was no good way to end it without the chapter running for a really long time.**

**Minimal editing on this one because I just finished writing it, so please forgive my errors, and maybe tell me about them.**

**Sorry again, but I promise that there will be a smaller gap between now and the next update, okay?**

***pinky promises***

**See ya tomorrow! (Hopefully!)**


	9. Finished With Your Games

Chapter Nine

Garry's POV

I felt Ib shaking my shoulder. "Garry? Are you asleep?"

I lifted my head slowly. "Mmmf…?" I looked up.

There was a semi-circle of mannequin heads surrounding us in the hallway.

I scrambled to my feet.

"They were here when I woke up a minute ago." Ib explained, standing up with me.

I stood there, petrified, numbly noticing that Ib had returned my coat. I had no idea what to do.

"Garry…? Come on, let's go. I don't like this." She took hold of my arm and tugged me out of the circle of heads.

She continued to lead me forward, glancing worriedly behind her as she walked.

I turned around as well. All of the heads had turned to watch us retreat down the hall. I suppressed a shudder, and faced forward again.

Ib's POV

The passage seemed like it would never end. I couldn't fathom how Mary had gotten out of our sight so fast. Or why she was putting us through this. It had been quite a while since we'd stopped to rest, but I could feel myself getting drowsy again. It was as if this hall was sapping my energy, but I didn't want to mention it, because we'd already stopped once, and we'd never reach Maddi if we kept going at this rate.

"Hey, uh, Ib?" Garry said suddenly.

"Hmm?"

"Do you remember why you came to the gallery today? I mean, it's kind of a huge coincidence that we both decided to come here on the same day."

"Oh. You're right," I said, frowning. "I hadn't thought about that. Well, let me see… I had a dream last night where I was here with you and Mary, and we were being attacked by paintings. And I woke up with an urge to come here."

"How strange. I came here for the exact same reason."

I turned to face him. "Are you serious?"

He nodded. "I wonder how that could've happened..." he trailed off.

I shrugged, and we continued walking.

The monotony of the hall had gone for so long, so I noticed the change immediately.

"Hey, look!" I said, pointing down the corridor. "What is that?" I took off down the hall at a run.

"H-Hey, Ib, what is it?!"

I ignored his calls, and continued running. As I approached it, the thing I had seen revealed itself to be a gap the wall. I skidded to a halt, almost fell, and regained my balance.

Garry caught up. "Ib, don't run off like that, okay?" But then he noticed what I'd been staring at. "Whoa. What is this?"

The gap was about two feet wide, and wasn't lit, so it was impossible to see more than a few feet down it.

"Why is this here?" Garry asked, brushing the edge of the gap with his hand. He looked back down the hall. "Which way should we go?"

"Down the little hall," said a voice. I jumped and spun around.

A pair of red lips had appeared on the wall opposite. "Brought it for you. In exchange for the food last time."

I let out my breath. I still wasn't used to these paintings appearing out of nowhere, even if it was to help us. "Well, th-thank you," I stammered, when a thought struck me. "Wait… How can you still control this place? Isn't Mary really close by? I thought that you paintings could only manipulate the gallery if Mary wasn't too close to you."

"Me think she _wants_ to see you. Getting bored, she is. Made the hall too long."

"Where does this lead to?" Garry asked, curiously peering down the hall. "Does it lead to her?"

"Yes and no. It is a shortcut. It leads to where this hallway ends."

We thanked the mouth again, and slipped into the passageway, Garry leading the way.

It was almost pitch black. I heard Garry's voice; he was calling over his shoulder. "Hey, Ib, grab my hand, so I know that you're there. You're awfully quiet."

I took hold of his hand, which was damp with sweat, and let him lead me through the passage. I supposed the passage turned a corner after a while, judging by the way I heard Garry smack into the wall with a loud thump. I giggled, and heard him mumble something about keeping his hand on the wall this time.

After a short while, we turned another corner and saw the end of the passage. We both quickened our pace eagerly, and soon emerged into what must've been the end of the hallway we'd just been walking through. The walls were the same color, and it was the same width. The only difference was that this hall ended with a door a few meters away.

And on the door:

'**_YOU FOUND ME IB!_**' was written in neatly painted words.

Garry and I exchanged a single look, and I squeezed his hand. Then I released it, and reached for the doorknob. I twisted, and let out a long breath. Then I threw the door open with a loud bang.

* * *

**Semi cliffhanger-y ending!**

**Sorry it's so short. I will see you all tomorrow when I post the next chapter!**


	10. Guertena

Chapter Ten

Ib's POV

Sure enough, Mary was standing just inside the room, waiting for me.

"Ib!" she cried, smiling a smile that was just a little too wide. "I missed you!" And with that, she took hold of my arm and pulled me into the room. Garry tried to follow, but Mary's face twisted into one of pure hatred, and she pulled her knife out of her dress pocket. She shoved it in his face. "Stay back!" She screeched. "Don't get too close! You're supposed to be _dead!_"

When she had led me a few feet away, she relaxed. Smiling, she dropped the arm holding the knife to her side. "Come in, come in!" She said in a warm, bubbly tone. "My dad finally found me a couple years ago, and I want you to meet him! He's just through here." She tugged me over to a door at the other end of the room, Garry still trailing about three yards behind us. Mary opened the next door, revealing a medium-sized green room. The floor was scattered with brushes, half-empty paint tubes, and incomplete sketches. And in the center of the room was an easel, with Mary's newly refurbished painting resting upon it. There was a stool next to the easel, and a man was seated upon it. He was perched like an owl, and scribbling feverishly in a pad of paper.

He looked up as we walked in. He had curly blonde hair and blue eyes, just like Mary, but his hair was messy, and there was a wild look in his eyes. He didn't look completely sane, all in all.

"Mary, darling," he said in a quiet, raspy voice. "This is the friend of whom you spoke?"

Mary nodded. "Yes, dad, this is Ib!" she said excitedly, throwing her arms around me.

He nodded, looking me up and down. "I see my methods worked, then."

"Methods?" I heard Garry say from behind me.

Mary gave him a withering look, but Guertena didn't seem fazed. "Oh, yes, young man. You came here by my will, not your own." He stood, throwing the pad and pen aside carelessly. He stood and approached me swiftly. I took several quick steps backwards, until I was almost against the wall. Garry made to move towards me, but Mary brandished her knife again, and he stopped. "You had a dream about this place last night, did you not?" And without waiting for an answer, he looked up at Garry with a jerky movement befitting that of a bird. "And you did as well, did you not?" Looking back at me, he continued.

"You see, I've been trying to bring you two back into my gallery ever since I repainted my daughter's portrait, because she requested that I bring you back. She said…" He trailed off, looking pointedly at Mary, who chimed in. "I asked Daddy to bring you back because visitors aren't allowed to leave without permission. And people who break the rules need punishing, don't they?" She smiled, and ran the knife's blade between her fingers. "And besides," she continued. "We never did get to play together, did we, Ib?"

"Yes," Guertena continued. "Anyway. I supposed that I owed my daughter a favor after leaving her alone for so many years. So I tried sending you dreams. After all, I had influence over your minds when you were here before, and some of that influence lasted even after you'd left. I expect that the dream only reached you today because my presence is strong in the other world at this time."

"The five-year anniversary of your exhibition…" I said, thinking aloud.

"Indeed," He continued. "You came here in search of your sister, whom I lured here. I couldn't be sure that you had come after her until you signed in at the desk." He held up my signature from earlier. "It is only fair that I return her to you. _I _have no further use for her." He clapped his hands together. A door that I hadn't noticed before swung open, revealing a headless statue that was clutching Maddi, who was sobbing quietly, in its cold grasp.

"Maddi!" I cried, overjoyed.

"Eeby!" she called back, reaching for me. The statue approached me, handed Maddi to me, and stepped back. Maddi squeezed her arms around my neck. I hugged her back, just as tightly. "Maddi," I whispered shakily. "Oh thank goodness."

"Now!" Guertena clapped his hands. "To business."

Garry's POV

_Okay. So we've got Maddi back. Good. _I smiled as Ib squeezed her sister tight against herself. I snapped out of it when Guertena clapped his together. Something about his tone made me uneasy. It was also a little disconcerting that Mary wouldn't let me within five feet of Ib. I had this uneasy feeling about what was happening.

"My daughter wished for play mates. Now," he flicked a wrist at me. "You are too old to play, but that does not mean that you can't be a source of entertainment." I tried to interject a question, but he held a finger up to his mouth in a quick, stiff movement, and continued without stopping. "You two, however, are the right age to engage in the same type of play as my daughter. Ib, you won't be needed for too much longer, for you are on the brink of being too old, but your sister will be useful for years to come."

The meaning of his words was starting to sink in, and that feeling in my gut started to grow into panic.

"Ib, you and your sister will wait in a separate room until Mary is ready to play," Guertena said, waving a hand at Ib.

Large black hands shot out of the wall behind Ib, and wrapped themselves around her and Maddi, so fast that neither of them could even cry out. Ib looked at me for a split second, her red eyes wide with fear, before the hands flew back into the wall, dragging both girls with them.

"IB!" I yelled, running to the spot where she had just been. I frantically beat my fists against the wall, even though I knew that I couldn't get to her. "Where is she?!" I shouted, turning to face Guertena.

Guertena had remained completely expressionless throughout this entire situation, but when I yelled at him, a flicker of anger passed over his face. Mary took a step back from him; she looked inexplicably nervous. "Bring her back right now, damn it!" I cried. "Or I'll–"

"You'll what?" He started laughing, but it wasn't a normal laugh. It was loud, scratchy, and maniacal. "What can you possibly do to me here?!" He looked up at me, his eyes wide and senseless. His laughing was becoming more and more hysterical. I took a step back, realizing why Mary had looked so nervous. Guertena seemed to crack if he became angry.

Still cackling, he snapped his fingers. Another clawed hand flew from the wall and, in a flash, had its claws around my throat. I scrabbled frantically at the hand, but its grip was almost superhuman in strength, and I could to nothing to remove the fingers that were constricting my breathing. Guertena raised his hand and put his fingers together, poised to click them again. I froze; the claws dug slightly into my flesh and any more pressure would cause the claws to break through.

I squeezed my eyes shut, trying in vain not to imagine the claws puncturing my throat. The sound of clicking fingers reached my ears as if through a tunnel.

"Grlgh!" I gurgled. The floor beneath my feet had vanished, and my full weight was now being supported by the hand around my throat.

"Well? What is it you were saying?" Guertena cackled. Even if I'd wanted to reply, I would've only been able to choke and gasp. I simply glared at him. My vision started to fade. "Daddy," I heard Mary murmur from across the room. "This isn't any fun…" Guertena's insane laughter shriveled as quickly as it had started. He smiled normally, and walked across the room. He wrapped an arm around Mary's shoulders and looked back at me.

"Anything for you, sweetheart." He waved his hand, and I dropped into darkness.

* * *

**Now it aaaall makes sense, right? (Just kidding)**

**Sorry that it's a bit short, but at least Mary showed up in this chapter. *cough* ****_FINALLY_**** *cough***

**Also, Guertena! I haven't seen many stories that feature him, so I thought it'd be kind of fun to make up my own version of him.**

**See you tomorrow for more!**


	11. Help Us

Chapter Eleven

Garry's POV

I landed hard on a cold, hard surface, and crumpled on the spot. I couldn't get enough air into my lungs. I lay on my side, gasping and panting. My hand crept to my pocket, feeling for my rose. I relaxed slightly when I felt the smooth petals. I heaved myself into a kneeling position, rubbing my throat.

After a few more minutes of labored breathing, I was able to shakily get to my feet and get a good look at my surroundings. I was in yet another narrow hallway, but I could dimly see a few twists and turns only a little way apart. _A maze?_ I took a few hesitant steps forward, but I heard a strange noise from above me. I directed my gaze behind me, and retreated a few feet back into the dark. I squinted at the distant square of light that I had come through. It was growing smaller with a scraping noise. I was about to relax when I saw a dark figure drop down to the floor with a light thump. The gap in the ceiling closed completely, plunging the corridor into darkness.

I hurriedly backed up, trying not to trip, and turned a corner. I pressed my back against the wall, and smothered my loud breathing with my hand.

I heard tiny footsteps slowly make their way towards me. They stopped just short of my hallway.

"Gaaaarry…?" Mary's voice was high-pitched and singsong.

My breath caught in my throat.

"Daddy's no fun. We should play a better game," she crooned. She paused for a moment, pretending to think. "How about tag? I'll go first. I'll count to ten, and then I get to chase you."

I told myself that I needed to stay quiet and calm.

"One…"

I couldn't help it. I bolted from my spot. I was much bigger than her, but ten seconds was not very long, and she had power here.

"Two…"

I continued sprinting around corners, trying desperately to put distance between myself and Mary. _I need to get away… I have to find Ib and Maddi!_ I couldn't hear Mary anymore but I was sure that she'd be after me any moment.

I had taken so many turns without thinking, so I slowed down and told myself that I needed to start focusing on where I was going. I paused, trying to catch my breath as quietly as I could. _If I can find some stairs or something, _I thought, _Maybe I can meet up with Ib and Maddi. I fell down at least one story, so I'll have to go up a level in order to find them. Wherever they_ are...I tried to shove the image of Ib's terrified face from my mind, but it was all I could think about. _God, I hope they're all right._

Ib's POV

The clawed fingers tore through my flesh as they dropped me, and a flurry of red rose petals fell through the air with me.

I landed poorly on my left ankle, and dropped to the floor, careful not to crush Maddi beneath me. I hauled myself into a sitting position with difficulty, and squeezed Maddi against my chest. She was crying loudly, and I was doing my best to comfort her. It was only then that I noticed that she was clutching something in her fist. It was a pristine violet rosebud. I smiled despite myself, and hugged her tighter.

I was so relieved to finally have her back, but I couldn't stop worrying about Garry. I didn't know what had happened to him, but being used for "entertainment" didn't seem like it could end with him unscathed. _Damn it, after all we've been through._ _I'll be used for a short time as a plaything, and then I'll be killed. And after that happens, Maddi will…_ But I couldn't bring myself to think about that. _It isn't over. I _will _find a way out. I'll get us out of here. _

The room we were trapped in had deep green walls, and they were papered by crayon drawings. _Are these Mary's?_ I thought, looking around the room at them. There were pictures of blue dolls, mannequin heads, and yellow roses. A few more unfinished drawings were scattered over the floor, along with many crayons.

_There's no door, but there has to be some sort of way out of here._

I set Maddi down on the ground next to me, and unsteadily got to my feet, using the wall for support. I limped around the room, feeling the walls for any uneven places that might reveal a hidden exit. _Anything… Anything will be helpful to us._ My ankle hurt more and more with each step. I knew that I should probably stop and rest, but I was desperate to get us out and find Garry.

Finally, after my leg nearly gave out beneath me, I sank to the floor. Maddi tottered over to me and plopped herself down.

"E-Eeby?" Maddi asked after a moment.

"Huh? What is it, sweetie?"

"Can we go home now?"

I looked down at my shoes. "N-Not for a while, okay? We have to get out first."

"Daddy's 'unna find us, wight?"

"No, he can't. He doesn't know how to get to us."

Maddi's eyes filled with tears. I knelt down and kissed her head.

"Don't worry, Maddi," I said, in what I hoped was a reassuring voice. "I'll get us out, we'll go home, and I'll make you some cocoa, okay?"

She nodded, her eyes still watery.

I stood up. _I won't make any progress just circling the room like this. I need to try another approach._ I thought for a few minutes, my sketchy plans getting less and less realistic.

Feeling desperate, I walked over to the center of the wall and placed my palm against it.

I cleared my throat and took a shaky breath. "H-Hello," I called to the room at large. "Anyone? It's the girl from a few years ago: Ib.

"My sister and I could really use your help. I know that a few of you have already given us assistance, and I'm not asking you to do anything more for us, but if you could, please. We have to meet back up with our friend; he could be dying now, for all I know. Anything will help. I need to get them both back home. Please." I remained standing, with my hand against the wall.

A few minutes passed. I bowed my head, trying in vain to keep the tears from falling. _No one is going to help._ My knees buckled beneath me, and my hand slid down the wall. "I-I'm so sorry, Garry," I sobbed. _He's going to die. And… it's my fault._ My cries grew louder and louder with desperation. I felt Maddi wrap her little arms around my arm. "Don't cwy, Eeby." This only made me cry harder. "I'm s-sorry, Maddi. C'mere." I pulled her into my lap, and rested my forehead against the crown of her head.

A sudden grunting noise made me look up. A painting had appeared on the far wall. It was a painting of a bride. I recognized it as the 'Grieving Bride' from the last time I'd been there. She was completely disheveled: She was sweating, her hair was sloppy, and she looked tense.

"You… two…" she panted. "I'm here to… get you out."

I stood up in a hurry, lifting Maddi, and wiping the tears from my cheeks.

"Ack! You have… to hurry… She's… trying to stop me…" The bride was getting red in the face, and the tendons in her neck were popping out. She stretched out her arms, gesturing towards the opposite wall. I turned, and saw a panel opening in the wall about two feet above the floor. I darted across the room, and lowered Maddi into the little passageway. I looked back over my shoulder at the bride. She was now purple in the face and was struggling to stay upright. "I… can't… keep this up… Just go!" The panel in the wall began to slowly slide closed again.

"Thank you," I whispered, and then crawled into the passageway after Maddi. The panel shut behind us with a soft thud.

* * *

**Well, let me know what you think!**

**I'll update as soon as I can. Thank you all for reading my story!**


	12. Pursued

Chapter Twelve

Garry's POV

I hadn't been able to hear Mary for about five minutes, but I was still as (if not more) terrified than I had been when I _could_ hear her. Because now she could be anywhere.

I stopped dead as a sudden snarl broke the silence. It was followed by the sound of something heavy being dragged laboriously across the floor.

I took a single step back, moving as quietly as I could. I took another, and my shoe squeaked against the floor. The sounds stopped. Then, without warning, a painting scuttled around the corner, screeching at me in a gravelly voice.

I turned tail and ran.

The painting lady was gaining on me; I could hear her inhuman cries getting louder.

She managed to get her claws around my ankle as I turned the next corner, and I tripped.

I landed flat on my stomach, still trying desperately to crawl forward, but the painting's grip on my leg was really strong, and I couldn't move.

This painting didn't go after my rose, like I'd expected; she merely dug her claws into my skin and held fast. But then, to my horror, she reared back her head and screamed: "_He's here__!"_

Realizing that she must be giving some sort of signal, I panicked. I kicked her hard the face with my free leg, and her grip loosened. I scrambled to my feet and ran. Turning my head to look back, I saw that I'd somehow managed to knock the painting unconscious.

I couldn't bring myself to be relieved, though, because Mary must've heard the painting, and she was probably on my trail.

I put a fair amount of distance between myself and the unconscious painting, and the stopped, listening as hard as I could. Unless I was imagining things, I could hear faint footsteps a few corners behind me.

Trying to keep my panicked breathing quiet, I ran forward, taking a final right turn.

It opened into a dead end. Before I could turn around, however, I noticed a large painting on the wall to my right. I stared at it for a few seconds before I finally recognized it: It was the painting 'Fabricated World'. _It's the way out! _I thought excitedly. There was a blinding flash of light. I raised my hand in front of my face squeezed my eyes shut, and when I opened them, the frame had disappeared. I stepped back immediately. _No… No, I've got to find Ib and Maddi first!_

I backed out of the room and was about to turn and run when I realized that I needed to make sure I could find this place again. I dug in my pockets, and pulled out my pocket knife. I flipped open the little blade, and scratched a small 'X' onto the corner of the wall. _Right. I'll mark every turn I make, and then follow them back here once I've found Ib._

I could hear Mary running down the hall to my right. With shaking hands, I marked the left turn and sprinted in that direction. I knew that Mary would probably see it and follow me, but I knew I could outrun her. To my surprise, however, I heard her footsteps stop.

I stopped too, listening, puzzled.

I heard her take a few, slow steps, and then she started giggling. Her laughter slowly grew into a shrill cackle. She remained there, laughing to herself for what seemed like forever. Something about her laughter chilled me to the bone. And then she started running again, back down the hallway, but took a right, even though I knew she must plainly see the mark I'd made.

Suddenly very uneasy, I backed through the hall, then turned on the spot and ran. _Ib… Where are you?!_

Mary's POV

_I found it! I found it! I FINALLY FOUND IT!_

* * *

**So, random bit from Mary's POV. Yup. That's it though, there won't be anything else from her point of view, 'kay?**

**'Kay.**

**Let me know if you see any errors, please, I'd like to fix any that I didn't catch. Thank you!**


	13. I Want Out

**The last chapter was really short, so I thought I'd upload two today.**

* * *

Chapter Thirteen

Ib's POV

_Oh, no, not another maze!_ I thought, looking around at the three narrow hallways I was facing. I started to limp down the right hand passage, Maddi toddling along behind me. The navy blue hallway was dimly lit by an unseen source, making it hard to see more than a few yards ahead of me.

I looked down at my rose, which had half of its petals clinging to the stem. Maddi's, thank goodness, was in perfect health.

We reached another fork in the corridor, and I, again, selected the right one. Maddi ran a few feet in front of me.

"Garry…?" I called tentatively. "C… Can you hear me?" I paused, waiting for a response.

I didn't hear anyone say anything in reply, but I heard hurried footsteps coming from in front of us.

"Garry?!" I called again, a little louder. _Yes… We found him._ I sighed in relief.

I suddenly felt a pair of hands grab hold of my upper arms. I shrieked and twisted around to see who or what had grabbed me. It was another headless statue. I tried desperately to pull away, but its hands formed manacles of stone around my arms, and struggling had no effect.

"_Run, Maddi!"_ I yelled, looking for her through the darkness.

Mary strode calmly into view, holding Maddi to her chest, with one hand over her mouth.

"Hello, Ib," she said, placidly. "I don't remember saying that you could leave the playroom."

I stared at her, horrified. "L-Let her go, Mary!"

"No," she said. "She'll just screeeam, and cryyy, and whiiine. She's _really_ annoying, you know." She looked down at Maddi in disgust. "She wouldn't shut up before you got here. I'm glad I won't have to deal with her for much longer."

"What do you mean?" I asked, shakily.

"Well, I'd hate to have to deal with _her_ all the time. She'd hog your attention, and then we couldn't do fun things together."

"_What are you talking about?!"_

She rolled her eyes. "Gosh, Ib, you're so _slow_ sometimes. I'm going to leave this place with you, in place of _her._ You see, Daddy's _terribly_ boring, and I've read so much about your world, so I want to see it, with you."

Mary dropped Maddi, who began to cry, to the floor, and bent down to pick up the rosebud.

"No! No, stop!" I begged, as Mary drew her knife. "_Please! Stop it!"_ I strained against the mannequin's grasp as Mary slowly moved her knife closer and closer to Maddi's delicate rosebud. "_Mary! Please, no!_" I screamed, tears beginning to pour from my eyes.

A series of loud, thudding footsteps echoed down the hall. A pair of hands emerged from the darkness, firmly grasped Mary's wrists, and pulled them away from each other.

Mary screeched in frustration, trying to twist free. The rose fell out of her hand as she pulled away and turned around. "Not _you!_"

Garry was breathing heavily; he had obviously been running for quite a while. He quickly stooped and picked up Maddi's rose. "Are you alright, Ib?" he panted.

"I'm okay!" I said, relieved that we'd found him.

"You're going to ruin everything!" Mary shrieked, and took off running, making my hair blow back as she passed me.

I breathed a sigh of relief, but then, to my alarm, the mannequin relinquished its grip on one of my arms, turned around, and started to follow Mary.

Garry's POV

Ib screamed as the statue started dragging her backwards.

"_Ib!"_ I called, running after her, pausing to scoop up Maddi as I ran. The poor girl was shaking like mad.

I gained almost no ground on the statue, as it was running just as fast as I was.

Ib started to cry as she pulled desperately at the statue's claws.

I noticed, with a certain sense of panic, that we were following the marks that I had made on the walls; we were headed for the way out.

The statue tugged Ib around the final corner, which led to the painting. Her cries were suddenly cut off.

"Ib?" I called, rounding the corner.

Mary was holding her knife against Ib's throat, who was still being held fast by the statue. Ib was staring at me with wide, teary eyes. She looked as terrified as I felt.

I stopped dead, slowly raising a hand in front of me. "Mary," I said quietly. "Let her go, now."

"Let me think," she said, placing a hand on her chin, pretending to contemplate my words. "Well, _one_ of you has to die here, because I want out. And I know you won't let me kill the little girl…" She shot a look of malice at Maddi, who grabbed a fistful of my jacket pocket and shrank against me. "So…

"Give me _your_ rose, Garry, in exchange."

* * *

**And history repeats itself.**

**See you tomorrow for another update.**


	14. A Father's Rage

Chapter Fourteen

Garry's POV

I froze. Ib shook her head frantically. Mary smiled.

_How exactly can I refuse this…? _I thought. _I can't let either of them get killed._

I took a deep breath, and reached into my pocket.

"No! Garry, don't do it!" Ib cried. Mary pressed the flat of the blade hard against Ib's throat, who choked. She was silent, but continued to gaze at me pleadingly.

"Don't… give me that look, Ib," I said quietly, looking down at the floor. "Alright, Mary. Let Ib go, and I'll give you my rose."

Mary smiled, and reached for my rose, simultaneously taking the knife from Ib's neck. I handed it to her, still looking at the floor.

The mannequin released Ib, and she stumbled away from it, towards me. Then she suddenly wrapped her arms around my middle, and squeezed. "I'm sorry, Garry!" she whispered. I returned the hug one-armed, the other still clamped around Maddi. "You didn't do anything wrong Ib, It's alright," I replied, trying to keep my voice steady; she didn't need to know how scared I really was.

A sudden, searing pain ripped through my side. I looked over Ib's shoulder, and saw that Mary had already started pulling petals off of my rose. Ib must've noticed me tense up, because she pulled away, looking concerned. "Garry?"

I pried Maddi's fist off of my pocket, and wordlessly handed her to Ib. "Gawwy…?" Maddi asked.

Ib's POV

Garry suddenly gasped. I relinquished my grip on his middle, and pulled away. I looked at him, puzzled. His face was contorted in pain. I turned around. Mary had begun pulling petals from his rose. I turned back to face Garry, who was holding Maddi out to me. I took her from him, my eyes stinging.

Mary plucked another petal from Garry's rose, and his right leg buckled. He clenched his teeth but didn't make a sound.

Mary pulled a small handful of petals away from the rose, and Garry collapsed, his eyes half closed. I turned away, not able to bear watching this any longer.

A voice appeared out of nowhere behind Mary.

"Mary," Guertena said, gesturing at 'Fabricated World'. "What have I told you about this painting?"

Mary looked terrified. "I-I'm not supposed to look for it, Daddy,"

Guertena looked around at Garry, and then at the rose in Mary's hand.

"Mary, dear, you weren't, by chance, trying to _leave_, were you?" he sounded downright murderous. "Why would you leave me, when I've done so much for you…?"

Mary didn't say anything. She turned and ran down the hallway as fast as she could, not caring to step over Garry as she did so.

Guertena started laughing, and snapped his fingers. Black hands flew from the wall, grabbing her legs and making her trip. She started screaming, and desperately yanked petals from Garry's rose. I yelled and started towards Mary, but Guertena got there first. He kicked the rose from her hand, scattering a few more petals, and lifted her off the ground by the scruff of her neck, the hands retreating into the wall as he did so.

Mary hung limp, staring in blank fear at her father, who was still laughing manically.

"I painted you: gave you a place where you could live forever, I spent all of those years searching for you, I brought you back to life, I cater to your every desire, and _THIS IS HOW YOU REPAY ME?" _He screamed the last words.

"Your father loves you; so why would you try to leave me?" he said, in a soft, silky voice. "I want you and me to be together, always. We'll have _lots_ of fun, won't we…?

"And you!" he screamed, looking at me. "Stay away from Mary! I spent too long trying to find her; no one can take my daughter from me. _No one!"_ He hugged Mary tight against him. "Come along, my little girl. Let's go play with your friends, shall we?" And he began to drag her, kicking and screaming, back down the hall. She screamed for me to help her, with tears in her eyes, until she was swallowed up by the darkness.

I watched in terror, half wanting to go help her, because she seemed so pitiful. But I snapped out of it, remembering what she'd done to Garry.

_Garry!_

I ran to his side.

"Garry, come on! Open your eyes!" I called, shaking his arm.

He didn't respond. "_Please_, Garry! Wake up!" I cried, my eyes stinging. "The exit is right here! We can get out!"

"C'mon," I said, desperately. "We _are_ getting out of here!"

I draped his arm over my shoulders, and stood up, dragging him with me.

I staggered over to the painting, Garry's dead weight slowing me down. I lifted Maddi with my free arm and set her on the other side of the painting. After telling Maddi to stand back, I leapt into the painting, and turned around to haul the unconscious Garry with me. The world disappeared in a swirl of white.

* * *

**Tomorrow should be the last chapter, though I could make extra additions if you want.**

**For example: **

**I could write a one chapter 'Bad End'.**

**I could think up a quick epilogue; what happens to Ib and Garry.**

**Or even a "prologue", where I explain how Guertena and Mary both ended up in the gallery, and why.**

**Or not, I don't know. If you guys want it, I'll try to write something. An extra chapter or... Maybe a one-shot, published separately.**

**Let me know! See you all tomorrow for the final(?) update!**


	15. Together

Chapter Fifteen

Ib's POV

I was standing in a well-lit white hallway, facing a painting labeled 'Fabricated World'. I blinked. _Hmm? What was I… doing?_ I turned to my right, and spotted Maddi, who was turning around on the spot, looking confused. "_There_ you are, Maddi!" I said, taking a hold of her hand. "You know better than to run off."

Maddi tugged on my hand. "Paintings…" she gurgled.

"You want to look at the paintings some more?" I sighed. "Alright, then…"

"No! Eeby!" she cried, pulling her hand out of mine. "Scawy paintings!" She ran towards the set of sculptures called 'Death of the Individual'. "Hey! Maddi!" I said impatiently, following behind her.

Maddi pointed at the headless statue. I looked at her, confused. She bared her teeth, squinted her eyes, and snarled at me, her hands clawing at the air. Then she pointed at the statue again. I laughed. "Awww. You're so cute, Maddi," I smiled. She frowned, looking frustrated, and approached me.

She thrusted something into my hand.

"What's this? Ah?! A lighter?! Maddi? Did you take this from someone?"

She nodded, looking slightly guilty.

"Who did you take from it from?" I asked, sternly. "We have to go give it back to them."

She smiled, and then turned and ran down the hallway. "Maddi!" I called quietly, "Get back here; don't run off!"

But she ignored me, said "'Dis way, Eeby!", and ran down the steps to the bottom floor.

I followed behind her at a fast walk.

She ran towards the statue labeled 'Embodiment of Spirit'. The same purple-haired man (_Garry, wasn't it?_)was still standing next to it.

"E-Excuse me, sir," I said quietly. He turned around, and I held out the lighter. "I'm sorry, but my sister somehow got a hold of your lighter." Maddi was looking desperately between Garry and myself.

"Oh," he said, confused. "Okay, thanks…" He took the lighter from my hand, staring it at for a moment, then looked down at Maddi, smiling. "You're a little pickpocket, aren't you?"

I laughed, and then turned to face the sculpture.

"So... What do you think this represents?"

"Ah, well, it represents a person's heart I suppose…"

He continued explaining his views, but I was distracted as I looked closer at the sculpture. I noticed that, unless it was my imagination, more petals were scattered around the base then there had been before. This notion filled me with an inexplicable feeling of dread.

I rested my hands on the velvet rope encircling the statue, and noticed that I had several small cuts on my hands. _Wha?! Where did I get – _

I froze. I suddenly remembered a statue like the one in this gallery grabbing my arm and tugging, gashing my arm. _And_… I remembered… _Garry. Garry chased after me._

I looked over at him in shock.

"It makes me feel somehow… sorrowful. I wonder why that is."

"Garry…?" I asked, anxiously

"Hmm?"

"Do you… remember what happened?"

"What?" He looked confused.

"The other gallery. With the paintings that chased us, the roses, Mary…?"

Garry was looking at me with a blank expression. _Please… Remember me this time, Garry!_

"And," I said, desperately trying to get him to remember. "You gave me this!"

I pulled out the lemon candy, holding it out to him.

He looked down at it, then back up at me. He opened his mouth slightly, and looked back at the candy. Then he reached into his pocket, and pulled out an identical one.

"That's… one of mine. I gave it to you… when you started to get upset."

I beamed and nodded vigorously.

"Ib… I… I remember!" he said, looking stunned. "I don't know how I could've forgotten it; it was so important!"

He looked down at Maddi. "Looks like we got you back, huh, Maddi?"

She giggled and hugged his leg.

"We did it right this time, Ib! We got out!"

Garry and I smiled at each other, thrilled.

"Listen, Ib," he said. "I've got lots I want to talk to about, but… I've got to go…" He looked behind him, down the hall, and then back at me.

"Ah, yeah, we do to!" I said, checking my watch. We'd been here for a few hours already. "Our parents are probably home by now, and I wouldn't want them to worry."

"Okay, then," he replied, crouching down to look at Maddi. "Don't forget about me, yeah, Maddi? We'll see each other again, I promise."

Maddi threw her arms around Garry's neck, laughing. He hugged her back, pulled away, and ruffled her hair.

I grasped Maddi's hand, Garry straightened up, and we walked towards the gallery's exit.

_Together,_ this time.

* * *

**I want to thank you all again for sticking with me through this story! After multiple rewrites, I couldn't make it seen any less rushed, so I'm sorry about that.**

**Anyway, farewell, unless someone requests an extra chapter.**

**My next story will be for Corpse Party, that is if I ever end up posting it.**

**Goodbye! Thanks everyone!**


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